Steam Big Picture launches for real, and brings with it massive discounts on TV-friendly games

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Steam has had its Big Picture TV-friendly version of the platform available on beta for a while, but has now launched it for real. It introduces a whole new menu system and user interface better suited to large widescreen displays, such as flatscreen televisions.

The idea is that, should you plug your laptop or a nicely spec'ed gaming PC into the main TV screen, you can get a console-like experience from your Steam account, accessing the games you've already bought on a bigger stage.

And to celebrate its launch, Steam has put many games it describes as "controller-friendly" on sale, with heavy discounts lasting until 10 December.

For example, Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes is £6.79, down from £19.99. And recent Activision release The Amazing Spider-Man is down to £12.49 from £24.99.

One side benefit of using your PC as your living room gaming device is that PC games are invariably cheaper than their console counterparts. Hook up a Xbox control receiver and you can even use the same wireless Xbox 360 controllers as the console itself.

You don't need a TV to check out Big Picture. We actually prefer using it on our widescreen PC monitors too.